Gleaning for Missions & More!

Bail er and bails being prepared from donations

About a year ago or a little longer I was the first church in my community to take a risk with a Christian businessman to place a collection box on our property for used clothing and shoes. It started off by responding to a flyer for a different place to give used clothing too. At first, I was hesitant about being the first and if what he was proposing would really work, but God has honored it. His concept was to collect and retail much like any used clothing retailer in the local community, but the idea to  give back a percentage to the supporting ministries. We meet over lunch several times sorting out the concept and idea. I love visionaries and this guy has been and remains creative in his endeavors for God. Knowing that Goodwill type stores and such similar local entities had never sent our ministries back a check or even proposed to do such I felt it was a pretty reasonable idea and risk. Well, over the course of a year and many clothing donations given to his non-profit ministry it has turned into a great friendship as well. Our little collection box has helped people have a closer place to give used clothes, shoes etc. and we in return have received many checks coming back into the ministry. A few weeks ago he shared with me another idea and I agreed to share it with others as well.

Now he is collecting and selling used clothes, shoes, linen's etc. for International sales. He thought why not give back to ministries anywhere in the country who would collect clothes and donate them on a larger scale. Since my heart is drawn to missions and how to help our missionaries who have had to deal with so many cut backs, I shared this is idea with one of our missionaries who serves in Africa. He loved the idea and is sharing it with his supporting network of churches on how they might consider donating used clothes to a different place and through a different system, which in return will place money in their hands a half world away.

The gentleman who owns and operated this non-profit is willing to pick up and bring truckloads back to Florida to prepare for International shipment from anywhere in the continental USA . To qualify the quantity needs to be around 20,000 lbs  for return delivery. If this story being played out as the writing of this post strikes a heart string of possibilities for your ministry endeavors give me a call or write back. There is far more to this story then what I shared, but this is the nutshell of what we are working on in a hard economy and how God is doing unique things in our day with used resources I would have never imagined.